Isaiah 5:7

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, &c.] This is the explication of the parable, or the accommodation and application of it to the people of Israel, by whom are meant the ten tribes; they are signified by the vineyard, which belonged to the Lord of hosts, who had chosen them to be a peculiar people to him, and had separated them from all others: and the men of Judah his pleasant plant; they were so when first planted by the Lord; they were plants of delight, in whom he took great delight and pleasure, (<051015>Deuteronomy 10:15) these design the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, in distinction from Israel: and he looked for judgment; that the poor, and the…”

“Isaiah here applies the parable. It is no mere human owner, nor a literal vineyard that is meant. vineyard of the Lord--His only one (Exo 19:5; Amo 3:2). pleasant--"the plant of his delight"; just as the husbandman was at pains to select the sorek, or "choicest vine" (Isa 5:2); so God's election of the Jews. judgment--justice. The play upon words is striking in the Hebrew, He looked for mishpat, but behold mispat ("bloodshed"); for tsedaqua, but behold tseaqua (the cry that attends anarchy, covetousness, and dissipation, Isa 5:8, Isa 5:11-12; compare the cry of the rabble by which justice was overborne in the case of Jesus Christ, Mat 27:23-24).”

“For the vineyard ... - This is the application of the parable. God had treated the Jews as a farmer does a vineyard. This was “his” vineyard - the object of his faithful, unceasing care. This was his “only” vineyard; on this people alone, of all the nations of the earth, had he bestowed his special attention. His pleasant plant - The plant in which he delighted. As the farmer had been at the pains to plant the “sorek” Isaiah 5:2, so had God selected the ancient stock of the Jews as his own, and made the race the object of his chief attention. And he looked for judgment - For justice, or righteousness. But behold oppression - The word rendered “oppression” means properly “shedding of blood.”…”

“Pleasant - In whom God formerly delighted. A cry - From the oppressed, crying to men for help, and to God for vengeance. Isaiah 5:8”

“5:7 The identification of Israel as the vineyard is a surprise that resolves the riddle of this passage. • Here, a powerful play on Hebrew words indicted Israel. The Lord expected justice (Hebrew mishpat) but saw only oppression (mispakh) of the needy. Instead of righteousness (tsedaqah), there were cries of violence (tse‘aqah) against the poor (see 1:21-23).”

“the vineyard: Psa 80:8-11, Psa 80:15; Jer 12:10 his pleasant plant: Heb. plant of his pleasures, Isa 62:5; Psa 147:11, Psa 149:4; Sol 7:6; Zep 3:17 he looked: Isa 5:2, Isa 58:6-8; Exo 22:22-27; Mic 6:8; Zac 7:9-14; Mat 3:8-10, Mat 23:23; Joh 15:2; Co1 6:8-11; Jo1 3:7, Jo1 3:8 but: The paronomasia, or play of words, is very remarkable here: he looked for mishpat "judgment," but behold mispach "oppression;" for tzedakah "justice," but behold tzedkah "a cry." oppression: Heb. a scab, Isa 1:6, Isa 3:17 a cry: Gen 4:10; Exo 2:23, Exo 2:24, Exo 3:7, Exo 22:21-24, Exo 22:27; Deu 15:9; Neh 5:1-5; Job 31:38, Job 31:39, Job 34:28; Pro 21:13; Luk 18:7; Jam 5:4 Isaiah 5:8”

“"For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plantation of His delight: He waited for justice, and behold grasping; for righteousness, and behold a shriek." The meaning is not that the Lord of the vineyard would not let any more rain fall upon it, because this Lord was Jehovah (which is not affirmed in fact in the words commencing with "for," Ci), but a more general one. This was how the case stood with the vineyard; for all Israel, and especially the people of Judah, were this vineyard, which had so bitterly deceived the expectations of its Lord, and indeed "the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts," and therefore of the omnipotent God, whom even the…”